ONE|NB Celebrates 35th Anniversary, Looks Ahead at Next Decades of Impact

Video in honor of Community Catalyst Lt. Governor Sabina Matos

Video in honor of Community Catalyst Ana Novais, Assistant Secretary of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health & Human Services

Video in honor of Community Catalyst Neil D. Steinberg, CEO and President of the Rhode Island Foundation

Para Libertação Imediata
May 25, 2023
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ONE Neighborhood Builders Celebrates 35th Anniversary, Looks Ahead at Next Decades of Impact

Celebrating thirty-five years of success, ONE|NB honors three notable community members who have a demonstrated commitment to improving the lives of all Rhode Islanders

PROVIDÊNCIA, RI - UM Bairro de Construtores (ONE|NB), the state’s leading community development corporation, celebrated its 35th anniversary last night and honored three impactful leaders for their contributions to the region. Since its founding in 1988 as the Olneyville Housing Corporation, ONE|NB has worked tirelessly with neighbors, community leaders, and policy makers to cultivate healthy, vibrant, and safe communities. Over the last three and a half decades, the organization has expanded its mission to serve a broader population of Rhode Islanders and has developed replicable best practices that have earned the organization the respect of community development and housing leaders from across the country.

“Strong and healthy communities are built, they aren’t born. They’re built by neighbors who come together with a common purpose. For 35 years, ONE|NB has provided an opportunity and resources to bring neighbors together,” said Jennifer Hawkins, Presidente e Directora Executiva da ONE|NB. “For over three and a half decades, this organization has sparked a revitalization and a reimagination of community. With support from our partners and with the trust of our neighbors, we have created a foundation for job growth, home ownership,  youth development, and better health outcomes. We are now building on that foundation to ensure that the next generation of community leaders can continue to come together with common purpose.”

During the 35th anniversary celebration, ONE|NB honored three Catalisadores comunitários: Lt. Governor Sabina Matos, retiring Rhode Island Foundation President Neil D. Steinberg, and Rhode Island Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Ana P. Novais. Each honoree has personally championed ONE|NB initiatives that have helped Rhode Islanders achieve housing security and financial independence.

• Tenente-Governadora de Rhode Island Sabina MatosA primeira afro-latina eleita para um cargo estatal em Rhode Island, tem sido uma das principais defensoras do estado em prol de uma habitação segura, económica e acessível há mais de uma década e meia. A sua experiência vivida como mãe solteira que enfrentou a insegurança habitacional informou o seu trabalho público como membro da Câmara Municipal de Providence e como Tenente Governadora. Ela desempenhou um papel fundamental em 2022 para garantir que o orçamento do estado de Rhode Island incluísse um investimento recorde de $250 milhões para habitação.
• Neil D. Steinberg reformar-se-á como Presidente e Director Executivo da Rhode Island Foundation no final do mês. Nos últimos 15 anos, ele transformou a organização filantrópica e criou uma cultura de impacto. O seu trabalho no domínio da habitação e do desenvolvimento comunitário conduziu, mais recentemente, à Oferta de habitação e sem-abrigo em Rhode Island que fornece ao Departamento de Habitação do Estado observações e opções para iniciar uma acção sobre a crise da habitação em Rhode Island.
• Ana P. Novais, Assistant Secretary of the RI Executive Office of Health and Human Services, um defensor incansável da equidade na saúde há mais de 25 anos, ajudou a apoiar o papel da ONE|NB como a espinha dorsal da Central Providence Opportunities: Uma Zona de Equidade na Saúde (CPO-HEZ). Com raízes em Portugal e Angola, Novais compreende os desafios, oportunidades, perspectivas e experiências únicas enfrentadas pelos imigrantes que vivem em Providence e arredores. A liderança de Novais foi fundamental para a criação do RI Health Equity Framework, que lançou a iniciativa HEZ, reconhecida e implementada em cidades e estados de todo o país.

Highlights of remarks from Jennifer Hawkins, ONE|NB’s Executive Director:

“Through the years we’ve stumbled and we’ve risen. Our name has changed. Where we work has expanded. And what we do has evolved. But at our core – we are still the same organization. We are fiercely committed to social justice and our sense of urgency and ambition stems from this commitment.”

“We can accomplish hard things. We can do the right thing. It’s too easy to become numb to challenges.

“From the soaring gap between housing supply and demand, and the persistent life expectancy difference between residents of Central Falls and Rhode Island’s coastal communities…. I worry that these facts have lost their impact. We can’t become desensitized.

But because you are here, I know you care deeply about housing justice. About health equity. And about building and shifting power to communities that have been left behind for far too long. I know you are partners with us in this work.”